Stories – April 2014

The projects selected were submitted by beneficiaries in all 28 Member States and cover actions in the fields of nature conservation, climate change, environmental policy and information and communication on environmental issues across the EU.

In April the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) decreased slightly in the euro area (by 0.5 points to 102.0), while it continued to increase in the EU (by 0.9 points to 106.2). The Business Climate Indicator (BCI) for the euro area decreased slightly by 0.13 points to +0.27.

"Made-in" labelling should be made mandatory for non-food products sold on the single market, Parliament said in a vote on plans to tighten up product safety requirements and market surveillance rules so as to strengthen consumer protection in the EU.

Anyone legally residing in the EU would have the right to open a basic payment account, and no-one could be denied this right on grounds of nationality or place of residence, under a new law passed by Parliament.

The report issued today provides a comprehensive overview of how fundamental rights have been successfully implemented in the EU over the past year. It highlights, for example, guidance given by the European Court of Justice to national judges on the applicability of the Charter when implementing EU law at national level.

The European Commission has published for the first time a scoreboard on transport in the EU. It compares Member State performance in 22 transport-related categories and highlights for most of these categories the five top and bottom performers.

The European Commission is launching a consultation on #mHealth or mobile health, asking for help in finding ways to enhance the health and wellbeing of Europeans with the use of mobile devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, patient monitoring devices and other wireless devices.

The Platform would bring together various national enforcement bodies involved in the fight against undeclared work, a phenomenon that causes serious damage to working conditions, fair competition and public budgets.

The new standards will cover safety, security, privacy, data protection, insurance and liability. The aim is to allow European industry to become a global leader in the market for this emerging technology, while at the same time ensuring that all the necessary safeguards are in place.

The 4th EU-Africa Summit brought together more than 60 EU and African leaders, and a total of 90 delegations, to discuss the future of EU-Africa relations and reinforce links between the two continents.

The proposals presented will seriously shorten and simplify the procedures for those wanting to come to the EU for short stays, and induce more cost savings and less bureaucracy, whilst maintaining the level of security.

The euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 11.9% in February 2014, stable since October 2013. It was 12.0% in February 2013. The EU28 unemployment rate was 10.6% in February 2014, down from 10.7% in January 2014.